Program​/Project Manager

Polar Semiconductor is seeking an experienced Program Manager to lead customer-funded technology development, qualification, and manufacturing transfer programs. This role serves as the primary interface between customers, business development, engineering, operations, and executive leadership to ensure new technologies and products are successfully developed, transferred, launched, and ramped into production. The Program Manager is a critical asset to the organization, responsible for coordinating cross-functional teams, managing program execution, mitigating risk, and ensuring commitments are achieved on time and within budget while supporting the company's revenue growth and profitability objectives.

The Role Serve as the primary program lead for customer technology development and technology transfer initiatives.

Lead cross-functional teams spanning process engineering, equipment engineering, wafer integration, characterization, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and operations.

Establish and manage integrated program schedules, technical milestones, budgets, risks, and customer deliverables.

Drive technology readiness, qualification, and manufacturing transfer activities from concept through production release.

Coordinate internal and external technical reviews and ensure alignment between customer requirements and execution plans.

Develop and maintain risk registers, mitigation plans, action-item tracking, and executive-level reporting.

Drive customer communication, expectations, and deliverables throughout the development lifecycle.

Identify program risks early and implement mitigation strategies to ensure successful outcomes.

Support proposal development, statements of work, contract deliverables, business development activities, and customer visits.

Manage scope changes, change control processes, and technology readiness assessments.

Provide regular executive-level updates on program status, key risks, resource requirements, and customer commitments.

The Person Technical Program Manager with experience bridging engineering, manufacturing, operations, and customer organizations.

Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence and drive alignment without direct authority.

Excellent communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills.

Comfortable engaging with customers, executive leadership, and technical subject matter experts.

Demonstrated success leading complex new product introduction, technology development, qualification, or technology transfer programs.

Ability to balance technical depth with strong commercial and customer-facing skills.

Proven problem-solving, risk management, and decision-making capabilities.

Thrives in dynamic environments and effectively manages ambiguity, changing priorities, and multiple stakeholders.

Passion for continuous improvement and delivering measurable business results.

Minimum Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Science, or a related technical field.
5+ years of project or program management experience.

Experience leading cross-functional projects in a technical or manufacturing environment.

Proficiency with project management tools, planning methodologies, and reporting systems.

Strong communication, presentation, and customer relationship management skills.

Preferred Qualifications Advanced degree (MS, MBA, or PhD) in Engineering, Business, Physics, or a related field.
8+ years of program or project management experience in semiconductor, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, defense, or related industries.

Experience managing semiconductor technology development, process qualification, manufacturing transfer, or NPI programs.

Understanding of wafer fabrication processes, process integration, yield improvement, and qualification methodologies.

Experience working with external customers, strategic technology partners, or government-funded development programs.

Proven ability to manage multi-disciplinary engineering teams in a fast-paced development environment.

Strong risk management, contract deliverable tracking, and customer relationship management skills.

Familiarity with stage-gate development processes or similar program management…